The Chauffeurs
by mousehole
Summary: As far as Naminé knows, she's can't be Kairi's guardian.. during dates. Not only is she against being the third wheel, she's afraid of boys! Will this date's fourth person change her mind.. and heart? RokuNami, SoKai, slight TerrAqua
1. prologue

**Author's Note**: Hello~ I hope you review after reading? So I'll know if I should scrap this or not.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, the characters within the series, and the places.

* * *

prologue.

"But you _have_ to!" wailed the auburn haired girl. "If you won't, I'll simply _die_, Naminé! _Die_!"

"Why is it that you're always on the brink of utter death?" the girl addressed as Naminé teased, throwing one of the pillows on the bed both girls sat on.

"Because my parents won't let me go unless you come along," the other girl replied, catching the white pillow in her arms.

Naminé rolled her eyes. "Kairi, you know it's not really my thing…"

"Yeah, but you're doing this for _me_! You're supposed to be my best friend." Kairi flopped back down on the mattress, hugging the pillow tightly. "It's just _one_ night. Just one date! No harm in _that_, right?"

"But…" _I'm afraid of guys._ The words were stuck in the flaxen haired girl's throat. If anything, for some unexplained reason, Naminé was afraid of the opposite sex. "I don't like being the third wheel," she finished lamely.

Kairi sat back up, looking at Naminé closely. She knew her best friend disliked being around guys, but it couldn't be _that_ bad, could it? Her question was answered by the faint rosy tint on the fair girl's cheeks. "Oh, Nams," Kairi sighed. "I promise it won't be so bad!" She clasped her hands together. "_Please?_"

Naminé hated it when Kairi whined. First of all, it broke her heart, and made her feel all weird knowing in some way it was her fault. Secondly, Kairi was known to throw the worst tantrums, hurling anything and everything across the space, and they were both hanging out in Naminé's room. Naminé was a neat freak, and it showed: within the white walls and matching white furniture and upholsters of her room, everything was in its designated place, neat enough so she had space to traverse the small room (and also because she did not like cleaning up). No, she did not want Kairi to mess anything in her territory.

"Okay, okay," Naminé sighed in defeat. "What are the details again?"

Immediately, Kairi smiled. "His name is Axel, and we're going to some hotel launching; isn't that fancy?" Even Naminé was impressed: rarely did Twilight Town have any new buildings or commercial spots, and when it ever did it was big event. "Oh, and he's bringing a chauffeur along too," Kairi added casually.

_I hope she –or he – is nice_, Naminé prayed. "What time again?"

"Eight in my house," Kairi replied, tossing back the pillow to Naminé. "He's –I mean they're – picking us up at my place. Oh and dress nicely, I heard it's going to be quite an evening." The auburn haired girl winked.

Naminé looked up at the clock: 7PM, it read. "Well, I better get started then, and so should _you_, Little Miss Dying," the girl teased. "Out, out!" Naminé shooed Kairi out the door, amethyst eyes gleaming. To be honest, she was starting to feel excited herself. A _hotel launch_! She loved the fancy stuff.

Naminé's family was well off, and it poured out of her: the dignified way she presents herself down to the food she ate. Unfortunately, this earned her the snobby brand, if only faintly. _I'm not a snob_, she would reason to herself. _I'm just afraid…_ of a lot of things, really.

"I hope this goes fine," she murmured to herself, throwing her wardrobe doors open and scanning the contents. _Especially because there's _another_ chauffer, and I'm awfully sure it won't be a girl._

_

* * *

_

"You are _soo slow_, Kairi," Naminé had been seated down on Kairi's bed for almost ten minutes, watching her best friend slip into a fire engine red dress. "You're lucky what's-his-name is late."

The bodice hung snugly on the wearer's hourglass figure, and the glittery bubble skirt puffed up until a few inches above the knees of the girl. "I knew that," Kairi huffed, twirling around. "I just wanted you to be early." She pulled on a pair of black pumps then secured a string of pearls around her neck, then began applying mascara and lip gloss.

Naminé rolled her eyes. "And you'd look like a Christmas tree if you had more time to spare," she replied. "You're gorgeous enough as it is!"

"You…!" Kairi giggled, swatting the girl on the arm. She knew Naminé was referring to make up, as the flaxen haired girl disliked them. "Well, thanks. And you're just as pretty, dear."

Naminé smiled shyly. Part of her consciousness was to her appearance. In some ways she was vain; for instance, she would dress a little more when she had an outing by accessorizing or wearing something a bit pricey. A solid example would be that night: she donned a white strapless cocktail dress. The tight bodice lightly decorated with a minimal amount of rhinestones matched the loosely pleated skirt that gathered at the hips, falling mid-thigh.

To tone down the somewhat formal look, Naminé wore a white choker and cobalt blue flats.

Just then, the door creaked open. A young woman slightly older than the two girls popped her head in. "Ma'am Kairi, ma'am Naminé," she spoke softly. "Sir Axel is here."

"Thank you, Belle," Kairi replied with a smile and a nod. Unlike Naminé, Kairi was filthy rich, hence the house help. Of course her wealth was downplayed by the appearance of her modest sized house, although it resided in one of the upper class subdivisions, and her matching modest manners. "Please tell my parents I have gone."

And just like in most stories, Kairi's parents may have the wealth but they never had the time to be with their only daughter. They had strict rules and a hefty allowance left to her to make up for it.

Both girls hurried down the flight of stairs and went outside the house. A boy with fiery red hair met both of them by the sleek car which apparently he owned. "Hello there, ladies," he greeted smoothly. A smile curved on his lips. "The name's Axel."

Axel may be rich, but he didn't really look it: despite wearing a crisp dark red dress shirt under a black pinstripe jacket, with matching pinstriped dress pants, his shirt was left buttoned excluding the top three, revealing a necklace with what looked like a chakram, albeit gothic.

"This guy," he said dramatically, gesturing to the boy beside himself "is Roxas." It was too dark to see his face though, given that Axel literally stood under the light.

"Sorry we're late," he apologized. His green eyes seemed sincere, Naminé observed. "But we should get going. Let's leave the introductions in the car, okay?" All sightings of sincerity vanished and were replaced by playful mischievousness as he opened the front door for Kairi and Roxas the back for Naminé.

"Err… hello," Naminé said to the boy beside her. She could see parts of his shadow in the dark car: spiked hair, sort of toned body. "I'm Naminé."

The other boy looked at her; at least she _thought_ he was. "I'm Roxas," he said. "Nice to meet you." He shook her hand. For a while, Naminé froze. Whether she was scared or electrified, she couldn't decide.

_Well, I like his voice_, she conceded to herself, a small and ridiculous smile growing upon her lips. _At least I hope so!_ She also hoped he was smiling when he said that.

* * *

**Author's Note**: This is _very loosely_ based on how my parents met. I know I sound needy, but please review, review, review!


	2. wonder

**Author's Note:** chapter two. sorry it took a while! i tried to make this chapter a lot longer.

* * *

wonder.

The car ride, in Naminé's opinion, could have been better. During most of the drive, there was nothing but silence around the backseat while both the driver and his date chatted animatedly. It was only when Axel put on some jazz music that things started to thaw between both guardians of the dating.

Being the shy one, Naminé left Roxas to start the conversations. She tried her best to be enthusiastic despite being ridiculously terrified of the boy, replying with shrill and happy tones. The girl also forced a smile to her face, though she knew he couldn't really see her much in the dark.

They were then on the topic of sports, and Roxas started to dominate the subject. It was only because he was passionate about it, in some way, Naminé knew –she could hear it in his voice. "So, what sport do you play?" she asked him.

"I play football, actually," Roxas replied. "The soccer kind of football, if you know what I mean; but that's only second to Struggle!" Was he smiling? That was the problem, Naminé frowned inside. Among the countless pet peeves the girl had, one of them was being in the dark. This night was one of them, literally; how could she have any normal conversation under darkness, let alone with a stranger? _And a _boy_ at that_, she grumbled mentally. No, it was not easy, especially when she couldn't see if he was bored or not.

_Wait; did he just say_ football _and _Struggle_?_ Naminé perked up. "I _love_ those sports!" she exclaimed. This time, her enthusiasm was for real. "I can't exactly play them, but they're so much fun to watch! It gets really exciting, you know?" she smiled just thinking about it.

It wasn't that Naminé is athletically challenged, but she found more joy in watching a game unfold from above rather than being the one brutally attacked by a ball or a bat.

Roxas laughed. "Well, you don't know the half of it," he said. "You should play! It's about a hundred times –no, a million times better than just sitting in the bleachers!"

"No way," Naminé replied vehemently. "Naminé does _not_ want to get injured by some beasts!"

To this, Roxas shot back. "Not all players are _beasts_; what's your problem?" she winced; did she go too far with her comment? Dozens of panicky questions stabbed her head. "Maybe one day I can show you we're not," he added, his tone softer. "That is, if you're willing to get your hands, or legs in this case, a little dirty."

Naminé was relieved to know that Roxas wasn't offended; if he was, he didn't show it. Thing was, just as the stabs were released, another set flew at her. Was he asking her out?

_Stop it_, she thought. _You're being silly. Why would he want to go out with a mess like _you_? Trust yourself to assume like that!_

"I didn't think yo–"

The car stopped abruptly, causing all passengers to be thrown forward. "What the _hell_, Axel?" Roxas yelled at the red haired boy. "You wanna get us killed or something?"

"Uh…" Axel scratched his spiked hair. "We're here?"

* * *

"The Glass Slipper" isn't the kind of name to use for a hotel, especially one as swanky as this. Then again, it was a very–

"Tacky hotel," Roxas murmured as the four of them walked down the hallway. Naminé giggled, thinking the same thing, stealing a glance at the boy.

When the valet parking guy came and all of them got out of the car, Naminé finally got a glimpse of her co-chauffeur. She had been blown away: unruly dirty blonde hair probably sculpted to look the way it did, a slightly tanned body with traces of muscles most likely from the sports he played, and deep, cerulean orbs that stared back at her. _Blown away_, Naminé thought to herself, staring at him yet again. That _is an understatement._

It wasn't that she couldn't leave him out of her view for more than thirty seconds, it's just that, well, he was there in her line of vision. _Exactly,_ she thought to herself while surveying her surroundings.

Apparently the hotel, although as five star as it could get, looked like one of those castles from centuries ago: beige wallpaper framed with white wood finishing, gold lamps and chandeliers lining the hall, windows framing the scenery outside, and the ever-present maroon velvet drapes lining said windows. Outside these windows should be the ocean waves crashing onto the nearby beach and jetties, but as it was night time they might as well have been blank television screens with gold frames.

When both couples entered the lobby, they saw the place littered with couples, both young and adult. It said the party was going to be legendary, as seen by the visitors who showed up wearing excited faces and expensive-looking clothes.

A man wearing a butler's uniform guided the four up the grand staircase. There were two, the left and the right, leading to the same floor. Just for fun, the two groups started up from opposite sides: Axel and Kairi followed the man up the left side and Naminé and Roxas trudged up the right side.

Then, through another hall where the function rooms were, both couples were brought to the end of the corridor where heavy drapes barricaded whatever was at the opposite side. "Please enter," the man bowed, pulling the curtains aside.

"Oh gosh," Kairi whispered, her eyes wide and glimmering. "This is beyond _awesome_."

If Kairi called it awesome, then it meant something. The enormous chandelier hung in the center of the ceiling was covered and draped with streams of cloth, making it look like a maypole. The rainbow array of streamers was distributed to the corners and ends of the ceiling, the excess yards draping down to the floor. The gigantic ballroom was darkened to an orangey hue, highlighted by the few candles on the glass coffee tables set between low, modern-looking couches in deep maroon. The room looked like a coffee house with a twist, the twist being having a lighted dance floor spread in the middle of the room. Also, waiters seemed to be serving drinks that did not look much like coffee.

There were many people seated and dancing to the loud beats of the song's fast-paced bass. This excited Kairi. "Let's go dance," she said to Axel, taking him by the wrist. Any dance floor in sight pumped up the red haired vixen. "Go save us a booth or something, dear!" she waved at Naminé, and then disappeared into the crowd with the other redhead.

Almost immediately after the desertion, Roxas turned to the flaxen haired girl. "So…" he laughed nervously.

Naminé smoothed her dress, stalling, and looked around the room. To her, it was quite amazing that the opening party would be as such, given it looked ritzy and overly expensive. She smiled up at Roxas. "Let's go?" and they both sat down on a couch nearby the wall. A waiter came to serve them drinks, to which both declined.

"You don't drink alcohol?" Naminé asked, curious.

"I do," Roxas replied, "But not tonight. You don't want to see it."

The girl laughed. "Yeah, not when we're chauffeurs for those two tonight!"

A puzzled look crossed the dirty blonde haired boy's eyes. "Chauffeurs?"

"That's what Kairi calls us," she giggled. "Apparently, 'chaperone' sound old and stuffy, and chauffeur sounds cool." Roxas didn't look convinced, but he wiped the doubt away with a smile.

Naminé, on the other hand, caught sight of his confusion and wondered what she said wrong. But when he flashed a smile at her, she disregarded it as well. Did it really matter? No, it didn't.

* * *

Kairi swayed to the beat, holding her glass in her right hand. "This is too great," she shouted over the loud music. "You're an awesome dancer!"

"Of course I am," Axel yelled, pausing to take a slug out of his drink. "That's why they're digging me!"

The girl laughed, and kept up with her dancing. Despite his cockiness, she was enjoying the green-eyed creature's company. He looked like a party animal, and she loved that.

The lights in the room dimmed, increasing the effect of the strobes. Finishing off her drink, Kairi weaved out of the crowd to find a waiter. She found one and exchanged her empty glass for a refilled one. Was that her sixth? Ninth? Twelfth?

Whatever.

Diving back into the dance floor, the wild child let a huge smile spread throughout her face. She felt it ripping her skin off; or was that the effect of the alcohol?

It was true that Kairi had the manners every parent wished their own children had, but behind their back was a different story. How the girl was able to keep up her appearance in front of adults will always be a mystery, considering how tipsy Kairi was becoming.

"A-a," Kairi stumbled across the floor, nudging some other high class visitors. "Axel!" the sea of people seemed to get tighter with more people a few years older than she was. It was a good thing; had there been any adults she would be squealed on and punished.

Whatever.

She took a gulp of her drink.

* * *

"It looks like a dead fish."

Naminé winced. "Why do you have to be so morbid?"

"It does!" the cerulean eyed boy insisted, pointing at the abstract statue before them. The chauffeurs got tired of watching the party get wilder and wilder, so they left the room and went off exploring the hotel. At the moment they were standing before a golden statue that resembled a key; a very big key, with its teeth protruding with sharpness. "And it got split, so its bones are –"

"_I don't want to hear it! God, Roxas, shut up!_" Naminé squealed, putting her hands over her ears, laughing with the boy. "Morbid, morbid; maybe we should do something else." Despite her aghast at all of Roxas' gross description, she had to admit she was enjoying his company. He had an imagination nobody had, and she felt honored to be part of the few she believed who have delved in this realm, morbid or not. "Like, maybe play... hide and seek."

"That's so boring," Roxas complained. "And it's too easy. By the time I finish counting, I'd have found you still running down the corridor." Both burst out laughing.

"Not if I find you hiding behind your dead fish!" Naminé began pushing Roxas towards the wall. "Start counting!"

"Excuse me," someone called behind the two. Both blondes stopped abruptly and turned around to meet an azure haired girl, followed by a brunette boy. "May I ask… what you two are doing?" she asked, a sparkle of amusement in her eyes.

Roxas and Naminé fell silent, and just gazed at the girl. Her posture gave away her status: she was the daughter of the hotel's owner. She was dressed in a baby blue tube dress, layers white tulle serving as her skirt. The cocktail dress ended around three inches above her knee, revealing slender legs and feet donning black stilettos. "Come on, it's not like we're reprimanding you," the brunette chuckled. Both blue eyes shifted to the male stranger beside the girl.

His brown hair was strange: though combed, his hair still fell left and right apart from the few locks stuck combed back in the middle of his head, the rest framing his strong jaw around the shoulders. He wore a dark gray dress shirt under a black dinner jacket and black dress pants. "Well?" that one word suggested he did not like any dillydallying.

"W-we were just… you know…" If they said _laughing at your statue_, they'd probably be kicked out forever.

"Admiring this art," Roxas filled in. "It's very…"

"Morbid?" The girl in tulle giggled. Her laugh had a nice, rich ring to it.

Both teenagers looked shamefaced and did not say a word.

"Ah, my father just…" she giggled again. "My name is Aqua; this guy is Terra. Pleased to meet you," she stuck out her hand.

Still in awe, Naminé shook Aqua's hand. Her eyes, she observed, were a very nice blue. "My pleasure, Miss Aqua," she managed.

"No need for the formalities," Aqua smiled. She turned to Roxas. "And you are?"

"Roxas," he immediately replied, shaking her hand. He took Terra's in a firm grip after, giving him a shake and a nod. "Nice to meet you both," he added quickly.

Terra looked from Roxas to Naminé, then back to Roxas. "You both aren't in the ballroom?" he inquired.

Both shook their heads, little smiles playing. "Lots of guests," Roxas replied, looking down at the floor. "I mean, not that we're _anti-social_ or anything..."

"Ah," Terra raised an eyebrow knowingly. To this, both blondes blushed; Naminé elbowed Roxas and gave him a _shut up before you say any more_ glare.

"Oh, Terra, don't kid like that, look what you did," Aqua gave the taller boy a light punch on the arm. "You shouldn't scare the guests!"

The brunette threw back a grin at the girl. "I can't help it," he chuckled. "All our visitors are younger than I am!"

"No adults tonight?" Naminé asked incredulously. She thought she saw adults in the lobby being escorted the same way the four teens were. "But I saw some a while back!"

Terra grinned. "Well, the adults have their own celebration around the other side of the hotel. Smart, huh?" he laughed. "That way, everyone gets to enjoy the grand opening!" He took Aqua's hand. "And now," he said, "We must get back to see how it's all going. Hopefully it doesn't look as bad as you imply it is, or else my old man'll tear all his hair out. See you!" both parties waved goodbye and parted ways.

Roxas turned to Naminé. "So what do _you_ think of these drapes?"

* * *

"Good night," Naminé waved at the two boys in the car. "Sorry about this girl," she shot her best friend a disappointed look and trudged up the steps to Kairi's house, the redhead in tow.

Axel saluted, then rolled up the windows and sped off.

"Geez, Axel," Roxas huffed. "I should be the one driving, you know."

"I'm perfectly sober," Axel shot back. "Just you see!"

Roxas shook his head. When he and Naminé came back to the room, they were horrified to see Axel and Kairi sprawled all over the couches, laughing at nothing in particular. Well, Kairi was, to be accurate; Axel was laughing at the very tipsy girl.

For a while, there was silence as Axel drove. Roxas' mind started wandering. He liked Naminé, which was for sure; she was nice, though guarded and stiff. He knew they could be friends if they hung out a little more. _How long would that take?_ Roxas asked himself. She was the kind of person he respected, even if he wanted to ruffle her feathers for the sake of breaking her composure.

"Hey Axel," the cerulean eyed boy started.

"Huh?"

"What's this about being chauffeurs?"

"Well it's when someone drives you to some place, like, uh, crazy –"

"No, not _that_," Roxas cut his best friend off impatiently. "I meant, did you just bring me along because you wanted me to be a… chaperone?"

"Why would you think that? I brought you because I said I would, _duh_." Axel threw one hand up as if he was stating the obvious.

Roxas rolled his eyes and stared out the window. He resolved to ask Axel when he was sober instead. But for now… he'd sort it out himself, or at least try to.

But he couldn't resist a last question: "Are we all going out again?"

"Rox, are you _stupid_ or what?" Axel slurred. Roxas' eyes widened. What kind of answer was that? "Of course we will! Just, uh, not so sure when. Probably next week, yeah!"

Naminé said she and Roxas were chaperones –no, _chauffeurs_– for both Axel and Kairi. It confused him initially, and still was the moment he was dropped off at his home.

Did she lie to him? Possibly, but he wouldn't know; they were merely acquaintances.

Would Axel lie to him? Possibly, but not about things like blind dates.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So what do you think? The original title was supposed to be "The Chaperones," but I made a mistake! Tried to salvage it here. Was it obvious, or is it obvious now that I've brought it up? Please tell me in your review!


	3. tuesday halfoff

tuesday half-off.

"Good morning, Kairi!" Naminé threw the curtains open gaily, letting in the sun's rays take over Kairi's room. "Get up and take your aspirin!"

Kairi's red head popped out from under the thick covers. "What for, huh?" the girl yawned. "Why are you here at this hour?" She sat up with much effort, rubbing her eyes. "How dare you wake me up… Na-amm…?"

Naminé resisted the urge to laugh. "It's two in the afternoon," she playfully scolded her best friend. "Don't tell me you went partying again last night?"

"Of course not," Kairi replied, crossing the room. "It's just that, you know, spent last night planning today and all that."

"Right."

"Who let you in, anyway?"

"Belle did," Naminé padded after Kairi. "Are you _sure_ you're not drunk? She popped in front of the sleepy girl, peering closely at her face. Satisfied with the outcome, the flaxen haired girl stepped aside. "Don't drink the medicine anymore."

"Well _duh,_" Kairi rolled her eyes. "For your information, I don't drink _all_ the time."

"Then you do every other day," Naminé giggled, propping herself on Kairi's bed. The other girl took a shower, leaving Naminé to her own thoughts.

Two days had passed since the hotel launch.

When both Kairi and Naminé were dropped off, Naminé noticed how drunken Kairi was as the redhead stumbled up the stairs. It was a good thing her parents were heavy sleepers, not to mention absent as usual. It worried the blonde how wild her best friend could get behind her parents' backs. At that pace, who knew what could happen to her?

Naminé wished she kept a better eye on Kairi and Axel, the latter all the more. If Kairi was a party animal, Axel could be… a drunken beast. _If only I weren't so selfish_, Naminé kicked herself mentally. She should have guarded those two a little more closely! _But I couldn't help it, it was so much fun_!

The thought made her smile, how comfortable it was to be with Roxas. He may be a boy, but for some reason his presence didn't bother her as much. And his cerulean eyes were so–

Her reverie was interrupted by Kairi. "Hey, I didn't get to ask you about the other night."

Naminé looked up and down. Kairi was wearing a bright yellow hoodie-vest over a salmon pink tank and a black miniskirt. "You're going somewhere?" It came out less like a question than a statement.

"Wait, let me speak first, dummy," Kairi huffed, pink towel wrapped around her hair. "How was Roxas? Didn't see you guys on the dance floor," a wide smile pasted on her face.

Naminé laughed. "Well of course not," she smiled back. "Not with everyone's sweat transmitting to each other! Besides, we had fun exploring –"

"Each other?" Kairi just could not resist a dig.

"_Kairi_, you –!" Naminé's face flamed. "The hotel, we were going around the _hotel_! My god!" she yelled, Kairi's wicked laughter almost drowning out her voice. The embarrassed girl started shaking Kairi by the shoulders. "Kai-_ri_, stop it! You're so mean!" Yes, it grossed her out.

"Okay, okay," Kairi gasped, still giggling. Naminé let go. "But seriously, did you have fun?"

This made the other girl look up thoughtfully. She knew the answer, but if she said anything immediately her best friend would react. Said reaction was known to be dangerous. "Yeah, I did," she said slowly. "We even got to meet Terra and Aqua!" she added brightly.

"No _way_," Kairi breathed out. "They're together?" she began putting on her black boots.

Naminé nodded uncertainly. "I can't tell those things, you know that." It was true that Naminé was very dense in such subjects. "But yeah, they were holding hands and stuff."

"Anyway, so you did have fun, right?"

"Yeah…?"

"So you'd go again right?"

"Yeah…?"

"We're going out in a while, is that alright?"

"Yeah…?"

"Okay, let's go then!"

"Huh? _Now_? Kai, you didn't tell me!"

To this, the redhead answered by pulling an aghast Naminé by the wrist and dragged her downstairs. "Belle, we're leaving!" Kairi called out and slammed the door behind them. "We're walking to Roxas' house today, because Axel…" she shook her head. "It's hard to explain."

"But I'm not dressed for it!" Naminé looked down at her outfit. She was wearing a white tank top, faded boyfriend shorts, and brown oxfords; not a flattering combination especially to a date.

_Correction_, Naminé caught herself. _It's _chauffeuring_. Exactly._

Kairi shook her head. "You look fine," she assured, then looked into her cell phone. "Anyway, his house is kind of near; just a couple of blocks away."

Both walked under the sun down the road. It was another bright day in Twilight Town, the skies were clear of clouds, letting the blueness dominate the above in its full glory. Trees rustled when the occasional breeze danced by, some leaves joining the troupe.

"Hey, Kai," Naminé began, to which the addressed looked into the blonde's pale blue eyes. "Do you like Axel?" that was as straightforward as she could get.

Kairi pondered over this for a while. "Well, in some ways I do," she said slowly. "I mean, he's pretty fun to be with, the kind of guy who knows what a good time is." She grinned, steering both girls down the next street. "But I don't like him, like, you know, _that_."

_Should I be re_–

" –lieved?" Kairi practically finished off Naminé's thought, which sort of surprised her.

"Well," Naminé gave her a sheepish grin.

"This is all just good fun," Kairi assured her best friend, giving her a pat on the back. "Trust me!"

* * *

A _castle_.

That was what jumped into Naminé's head when she saw Roxas' home. She couldn't help but ogle at the grandness of it all.

A boy came out to unlatch the gate after they rang the doorbell.

Roxas!

Naminé smiled unconsciously, watching the dirty blonde approach the two. A friendly smile passed between the two, which sent her into a slightly paralyzed shock.

"H-hi," he looked at her quizzically, swinging the gates open. His gaze never let of go hers. "Please come in, we weren't expecting visitors," he chuckled, turned around and led the girls into the massive house.

She wondered why he didn't call her by her name, or called her at all.

"Roxas, I wa–"

The blonde spun around, his eyes wide. "Oh," he said slowly. "I _see_," he shot them both knowing looks. A suppressed smile surfaced upon his lips. His cobalt eyes gleamed playfully.

This confused both girls. Why was he acting weird?

He erased their pondering stares with a bright, charming smile. "I'm Ventus," he laughed. "You can call me Ven." He shook their hands, dismissing their ever-growing confused faces. "I'm Rox's twin," he explained. "But I'm the older one by thirteen minutes, though you don't really need to know that!"

"_Oh_," both girls giggled nervously. No, neither knew he had a twin!

_He never talked about himself, actually_, Naminé reflected. _At least, he didn't say anything about having a twin!_

"I'll call him for you," he offered, then bounded up the staircase. "Rox_-ass_," he yelled. "There are _girls_ here looking for you!" He disappeared down the corridor.

When nothing happened, Naminé and Kairi went into what looked like the living room. Both girls were in awe of the furniture's effect on the room: it was off-white in color, but the couches and coffee table gave them a Spanish feel which was both elegant and simple at the same time. There was also large bay windows projecting a massive garden, complete with a fountain and benches, making the scene look more like a park than anything else. There were even street lamps, Naminé observed. It was a nice picture to paint, in her opinion.

"Oh, visitors!" someone piped up. Both girls turned around to see a boy with brunette spikes. "Hello!" he waved to them, shooting the brightest smile Naminé and Kairi have ever seen. "The name's Sora," he introduced himself.

"Hi," both chorused. Kairi took a step forward. "I'm Kairi, and this is my best friend Naminé," she grinned.

I'll be… looking around!" Naminé laughed. Despite feeling a wave of comfort in Sora's presence, she was curious of this house. It was just so grand! Besides, Kairi can do all the talking. It was what she did best.

"So what are you ladies doing here?" Naminé could tell Sora was a very sociable person.

"We're going out today," she heard Kairi reply with enthusiasm. That is, given it was early morning in Kairi Standard Time.

"Oh! Can I come along?" He seemed to be innocent too.

Naminé reached the staircase, wanting to go up. She hesitated; was it rude to do so? Well, it didn't look like anyone was home anyway.

The second floor was dim. The lights were switched off, and there were no windows along the hall. Her footsteps echoed along the walls as she padded lightly through the wood-paneled floor. She walked faster.

_Whack!_

Just as she passed a closed door, Naminé collided with said door as it swung open. "Whoa!" she cried in surprise, rubbing her arm. "Ah hey, watch where you're going!"

"_Naminé_? What are you doing up here?"

Oops.

"Uh, hi," she said lamely. "You're Roxas, right?" she said cautiously. This earned her a laugh.

"Yeah; heard you ran into my brother," Roxas grinned, shutting the door behind himself. "Sorry about that."

"That's alright," she managed, cheeks burning. It was a good thing it was dark. And suddenly silent.

"So…" Roxas scratched the back of his head. Naminé could make out what his was wearing: a clean white hoodie over a collared black shirt and dark green cargo pants. "Let's…"

"Rox!" It was going to take Naminé a long time to get used to seeing double. "Where you off to?"

"I don't really know, actually," Roxas replied to his own twin. "Axel's picking us up in a while."

Ven rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'll see you off him an hour or so!"

"Yeah whatever," Roxas laughed dismissively. "See you later, older brother!"

Both blondes left Ven and went downstairs to find Axel slamming the front door shut. "Hey, amigos!" Axel yelled. "Axel is in the house!"

"You're so lame," Roxas rolled his eyes, smirking. "'Kay, let's get going now that he's here. Where's Kairi?"

"Axel!" Sora came barreling into the room. A big smile was pasted across his face. "Hi!"

Axel gave the cheery brunette a nudge. Kairi came in after, cheeks slightly flushed with animation. "Hi!" she said. "Where are we going today?"

"Well I was just _thinking_," Axel began dramatically, green eyes staring at the ceiling. This got a groan from Roxas. Naminé looked at him curiously. "Since it's Tuesday…"

"We're going to the amusement park," Roxas finished, an anguished expression on his face.

"Hey, you stole my line!" Axel was annoyed. "Anyway, yes, we are going to the amusement park."

"Can I come please?" Sora pleaded, cerulean eyes wide. "Please! I really, really, _really_ want to go!"

This caused quite a stir. Axel only brought a small car, the same vehicle Naminé and Kairi rode to the Glass Slipper launching. It was already quite snug at the back, and a third person in front was not possible. The whole problem was solved when Ventus invited himself along, offering to drive both Sora and himself to the amusement park.

"I was planning to go anyway," Ven reasoned.

The original four rode in Axel's car. The twenty minute drive seemed endless due to traffic. "I told you, Tuesday is a bad day," Roxas piped. "You just don't have any ears."

"Why, what's wrong with Tuesday?" Kairi turned around to face him. She adjusted her seatbelt.

"Tuesday is half-off," Roxas explained. "The entrance fee gets cut in half and the rides are ride-all-you-want."

"And we're going because Axel is a cheapskate, right?" Naminé asked.

"Hey!" came Axel's accusing gasp.

"Yes, that is why."

* * *

"_Noo_," Naminé whined. "I look weird in it!"

"Oh c'mon Nam," Kairi cajoled, "We all do!"

"Then don't get it!"

The four rode the park's highlight, the roller coaster called _Lionheart_. Like most rides, a secret camera was propped somewhere to take a candid shot of the brave souls aboard. And, like most candid roller coaster pictures, the four of them looked out of themselves despite their big, genuine smiles: Axel's eyes were bulging, Kairi's hair gave its owner a beard, Naminé's squinting gave her temporary wrinkles, and Roxas, well, his face was taken at its most unflattering angle.

"But that's _exactly_ the point!" Kairi huffed, slapping munny onto the table. The guy behind the counter smirked, printed out four copies of the picture and slid it into a brown envelope. "Enjoy the rest of the day," he bade them farewell.

"Why is it that you buy _all_ picture souvenirs?" Roxas huffed. Clearly, he wasn't pleased either. Imagine having to pay for something with awfully distorted faces of themselves? Totally not worth it. The pictures taken during the other rides like _The Gullwing_ and _Blitzball Fever_ were just as bad.

The quadruple was an adventurous bunch. Naminé was grateful for that. Otherwise, she wouldn't have anyone to ride those things with.

"Hey, guys!" It was Sora, who was apparently the twins' cousin. Behind him were Ven and Xion, his sort-of girl.

Ven had been going out with the raven haired girl for a while, though only casually. Even Roxas knew not of their relationship status. Still, everyone knew Xion wasn't bad news.

"We came back from riding the merry-go-round!" Sora announced triumphantly. To this, Ven rolled his blue orbs.

"What's wrong, Ven?" Roxas asked, though he kind of knew why already.

Xion giggled. Ventus let out a deep breath. "Sora was… let's just say he scared the other children." This got a laugh out of everyone. Knowing Sora, he probably did. Although in his late teens, the brunette never failed to show the world that he was still a child. Albeit a kid in a teenager's clothes, Sora's overly sunny personality and childish character suited him perfectly.

"No I didn't!" Sora objected. "They were overwhelmed by my awesomeness, that's all!"

"You big goof," Axel laughed. "I can totally imagine you stepping all over them with your yellow shoes."

"Who wants to ride with me?" Sora pretended Axel hadn't said anything. "I'm going on again!"

"Oh, oh, me!" Kairi waved her arm frantically. It didn't surprise Naminé. Kairi was one who was game to do anything childish, no matter how dumb it was. However, this part of Kairi never showed except around the blonde. It was probably Sora's disease.

"We were going to ride the Ferris wheel," Axel reminded the bouncy duo. "Remember?"

This brought a pout to Kairi's pretty face. She wanted to ride the merry-go-round too! "Can we ride it after this one? We still have time, don't we?" she pleaded.

"Okay, okay," Axel sighed loudly. He was not pleased. Riding a _merry-go-round_? At this age? He might as well have been their bodyguard.

-asdfasdf

The late afternoon sun blazed across the pink sky. Three couples came out of the carousel laughing hysterically, children weaving in between them rushing to their parents. It was the hour when most families in the park fall in line for the tram to go home.

"You know what?" Axel huffed. His red hair practically matched the sky. "I'm going to get... Err… You lot get on the Ferris wheel while I… uh… watch you from here."

The words _you're going to go drink_ hung in the air, though no one said it.

"Okay Axel, whatever, see you," Roxas' voice dripped with sarcasm, garnering chuckles and giggles from the rest. Axel and the rest parted ways, the redhead off to his desired destination while the others to the last ride of the day.

By then, not many people were left in the park. Loose plastic bags and forgotten popcorn tumblers were more evident on the floor, with the occasional lot of spilt candies and drinks.

As they neared the gigantic wheel, Naminé couldn't help but feel worried. It was bigger than she thought. Besides being afraid of the opposite gender, she was terrified of heights. Sure, she rode daring roller coasters and all, but at least those had safety belts! The girl shuddered inwardly.

"You okay?" Roxas noticed the flaxen haired girl's paler face. She was frowning, whereas everyone else had excited smiles on their faces.

She nodded silently, dismissing the subject entirely. Instead, she focused on the others.

Ven's arm was slung around Xion's shoulders, while the raven haired girl put her head on his toned arm. They were whispering in each other's ear, emitting smiles and small laughs from each other occasionally. The image of the two, well, it was so intimate and cute it made Naminé smile to herself.

Now, Kairi and Sora… they were both bubbly, that was a given. It was obvious in their faces, and in their noise level! The red haired girl's face was lit up practically the whole day, flushed with animation. Sora, on the other hand, he seemed to be the naturally fun type. He was so easy going, but he had the innocent aura wrapped tightly around him. At the moment, they were shouting at each other, disagreeing about some ice cream flavor.

At times like these, Naminé wished she could be as sociable as her best friend. Look at how she hit off with Sora –and they just met that day! She stole a glance at the boy by her side. They were definitely not getting anywhere.

_If we have to be great chauffeurs, then we have to be at least comfy with each other_, Naminé resolved.

The three couples were the first in line to the wheel, and also the last. The earlier passengers just got off the capsule, so there were already seats for them all.

"Noo, I want to ride alone with Ven," Xion whined good naturedly, getting a flushed look from the blonde boy. The manager allowed them, as they were they last three anyway.

Sora jumped into the next car, the excited boy he was. Kairi followed suit, shooting a knowing smile at Naminé to which she returned with a playful glare.

"After you, madam," Roxas feigned an accent. The girl smirked, sitting on one side of the closed car. The blonde boy sat across her, shutting the door. The ride commenced.

For a while, there was a deafening silence between the two. It made Naminé fidgety. Was she doing something wrong? Should she start the conversation?

"So… have you decided?" Roxas grinned. "We can play some football soon, you know!"

Sports again. Not that she was picky, but Naminé found it to be a let-down if she ran through any subject twice with someone, especially a guy. She shrugged. "Sure," she agreed half-heartedly while watching the car rise from the ground. They were getting higher. Silence hung in the air.

"Oh," Roxas replied after a pregnant pause. He sounded a bit hurt. "Well, I was thinking you'd want to go tomorrow, but…"

"I'm just… Aw Roxas I'm so sorry," she apologized quickly. "But I'm quite afraid of heights, you see…"

He laughed. It annoyed her a bit. How dare he laugh at her!

"I get it," he grinned at her. Almost all of her anger vanished. His smile was too adorable!

No. What?

She just shrugged it off with a tiny smile. She couldn't move. However, it didn't stop the two from popping small talk in between uncomfortable silences. The girl started to feel relaxed.

_It's amazing,_ she marveled, _how being with Roxas can even make me forget about-_

Just then she felt motion under her feet. Naminé almost screamed. "Roxas! You are _such_ an _ass_!" She half whispered, half yelled, gripping the bottom of the metal seat for dear life.

"Aw come on, Nams, it's alright! It won't fall or anything, I promise!" He continued to sway the capsule gently by standing up and rocking his legs back and forth. It unnerved the girl. "You see? Nothing's happening!" His cerulean eyes were gleaming wickedly.

"Stop it, stop it!" Naminé cried. Tears were forming in her eyes, almost blinding her vision. Her fear was closing in, as if she was about to plummet to the ground in the next second. "Sit down! Sit down! Oh for… _sit down!_" she yanked the boy by the back down beside her.

"You can be such an _ass_," she sniffed, not loosening her grip on the boy.

Roxas laughed, letting her curses roll down his back. "Oh come on, it's helping you! See? You're fine," he soothed her, but failed miserably. Besides giving him her iciest death glare, all she did was sidle up to him even more closely, her fist tight on his shirt. If the cart ever dislodged itself, at least he'll be there.

To go down hell with her.

Of course she was angry at him.

"Aw, Naminé…"

"Shut up."

By the time the car seized its rocking, they were staring at the blazing sunset across them. The red sky embraced Twilight Town generously. The ocean mirrored the vibrant colors on its little waves as they lapped against the shore, while the small buildings and houses in sight were tinted with orange.

"It's beautiful," Naminé breathed, her fear forgotten for an instant. Her blue eyes were lapping up every detail hungrily, unwilling to forget the scene before her. It was the first time that day when the long silence between the two blondes was comfortable.

He broke it.

"Hey, I'm really sorry," he apologized. The girl shot him a poisonous glare. "I didn't think you were this afraid of heights! Really, Naminé, I'm so sorry," he looked so sincere she almost wavered.

Almost.

Oh, who was she kidding?

"It's fine," she replied stiffly, her jaw still slightly clenched. Unconsciously, she put her chin on his shoulder, glaring at his cheek. "Just don't do that ever again." She was still angry, of course. How dare he play on her weaknesses, what more ridicule them! Naminé was so ashamed and embarrassed at herself. Why did she let him get the better of her?

She could feel him smiling. "I won't," he promised.

Roxas wanted to ask her about this whole 'blind date or chauffeur?' thing. He almost did, but he shut his mouth. Lucky for him the girl didn't notice. No, he will not ruin the moment.

The capsule began going down, blocking the view of the town. Shade came in to rescue the duo from the relentless blaze.

"I'm sorry too," Naminé quivered. "I-I shouldn't have gotten angry…"

"No, it's my fault," Roxas replied kindly, the gentleman he sometimes was. "I shouldn't have done that…" Hesitating, he shifted and gave her a hug.

It almost jolted the girl. She realized she was oh so _close_ to him! She reciprocated the hug almost awkwardly; her brain was screaming at her to drink his wonderful scent. Good thing he couldn't see her, she smiled with relief; she could feel all the blood in her face!

"Let's just drop it, okay?" she beamed at him when they released each other. "No harm done!"

But he shook his head adamantly. "I'm really sorry," he said. His sincerity touched her. If this had happened with anyone else, they'd be laughing already, not apologizing! "I promise, Naminé, I won't let it happen ever again. Not just with me –if anything ever happens to you, I swear –!"

"Roxas," she giggled uncomfortably. "It's fine, okay? But thank you." Inwardly, she cursed herself. What a way to cut off a passionate resolve!

He just smiled, although it didn't reach his eyes. _Strike four_, he thought to himself glumly. He already freaked her out; now that he wanted to make it up to her, she brushed him off like dust. Not that he was affected, but he was quite… sad. He put a hand on hers.

He noticed she didn't pull away.

* * *

"Hey Rox," Sora barged into Roxas' room later that night. "When are we going out with them again?"

"_So-ra!_" the blonde exhaled sharply, more because he was surprised at the door suddenly slamming open out of nowhere than out of annoyance. Also consider the fact that Sora was… clumsy and sloppy. "Weren't you there? We discussed it already, and we're going tomorrow! Geez…"

The sunny brunette punched a fist into the air and let out a loud whoop before slamming the door behind himself. The better cousin knew what was going to happen next.

"Where?" Roxas pitied his door. Sora could be such an abuser at times.

"Get out, you walking mace," he pushed his cousin playfully out the room and locked the door. "You go down memory lane while I get to bed!"

Flopping back down on his mattress, Roxas began his journey down memory lane down himself.

The group decided to check out The Glass Slipper, since it was new and it was rumored to be both a hotel and some country club. Axel already got his membership card, so they were going to hang out there tomorrow.

He was a little excited with the fact that he was going to have a football date with Naminé –correction…

_What correction?_ Roxas was smiling to himself, remembering her. It wasn't a date-date, but still.

His reverie was interrupted by another thought, that being his insensitivity. Was it that bad? She almost cried! Maybe he went overboard with rocking the capsule. It broke his heart knowing he almost made her cry, and consequently putting him on her hate list. After the disaster, apart from her resting her chin on his shoulder and the hug, she was silent.

She also left an ugly wrinkle on his shirt.

_Maybe_, he hoped, _I can change all that tomorrow!_ One thing's for sure: he would give anything to be able to catch a whiff of her vanilla scent another time.

He liked it.

* * *

**author's note: **DONE! It's almost Chinese New Year, yay! So I made this long. Anyway, I gotta go now, have a family dinner. Please review!


	4. trying his sport

**Author's Note: **Hi again! :)

* * *

_**chapter 4**_

_**trying his sport.**_

It was not a good day.

Roxas trudged up the steps to the Glass Slipper, his bubbly cousin close behind. The blonde wondered how Sora could stay delighted at such an early hour, especially on a rainy day.

The pitter patter of raindrops wasn't what bothered Roxas; it was the fact that it wasn't a nice, sunny day. He hated it when rain stuck to his skin, the same way the wet surface of Ven's car managed to drape him with patches of wetness. As much as he loved soccer under the rain (ironically), he knew he was responsible for his own stained clothes. No, Roxas did not like rubbing detergent repetitively over his clothes. He did not like cleaning, to be precise.

But that wasn't why he was in such a foul mood.

"Are they here yet," Sora asked his cousin, hoisting his gym bag over his shoulder. The brunette pushed open the massive doors. A breath of cold air greeted the duo. "Are they, Rox?"

"No, they're not," the blond sighed, rubbing his aching temples. "Stupid Axel," he muttered to himself.

What annoyed him as well was Axel. Roxas' best friend was supposed to bring the girls over, but for some reason he was running late. As of the moment, he was still at home, probably nursing his drunken self.

Worse, it was Axel who had the membership card. Their whole day was in his hands.

Roxas shrugged off his backpack and dropped himself on one of the lounge chairs. It was ten o'clock, and none of them were in sight. Actually, the whole lobby was practically deserted, never mind the few tourists entering and exiting the hotel. He scowled. He hated waiting.

"Rox," Sora perched himself on the chair across his moody cousin. "What time are they coming?"

"Supposedly now," Roxas replied testily, blue eyes threatening to flash. "But Axel is being himself. I swear…"

"Hi!"

Both boys turned around and caught sight of two colors: red and yellow: Kairi and Naminé.

Sora stood up abruptly and barreled towards the two girls, flashing them cheery greetings and taking their gym bags. "Good morning," he grinned happily, "You're finally here!"

"Where's Axel?" Roxas asked, to which both girls shook their heads, confused.

Kairi was the one who spoke. "He said we should come here by ourselves, so we walked here. Our umbrellas are with the guy outside." This got Roxas annoyed. Stupid Axel.

"We can't stay here then," he said miserably. So much for playing his favorite sport! And with Naminé! "Axel's the only one with a membership, unless you're willing to go back to his house." Of course, no one wanted to go to Axel's abode: he lived in the far side of town, and even if he lived in a snooty subdivision, none of them were really allowed to go that far.

So far, the day hit rock bottom.

The quadruple decided to loiter around the lobby, sitting on the sofas and checking out the place. It wasn't until a duo entered the lobby that their day changed for the better.

"Oh, is that you, Naminé?" the addressed turned around. To her surprise, it was the girl she and Roxas met that night of the launching.

Naminé's face lit up in delight and awe; did Aqua actually remember her name? "H-hi," she stuttered. _It's freaking _Aqua_!_ "Good morning!"

"And what are you doing here this early in the morning?" the older girl teased, her eyes twinkling. Terra, Naminé noticed, was still by her side.

"Oh, you know," the flaxen haired girl lowered her eyes. She felt a blush sweeping her face. "Just… checking it out..!"

"_Whoa_! No _way_, it's _the_ Terra!" It was Sora, who almost ran into Naminé. His face had three large saucers: his eyes and his mouth. Right in front of him was Terra, _only _the most popular Struggle Star. "May I _please_ have your autograph? You're my _idol_," Sora was practically dying in his own shock.

Terra laughed, and waved his hand dismissively. "Oh come on, I'm not _that_ great," he chuckled. "But sure…?"

The spiky haired brunette dashed back to his bag and came back with a paper and a marker. He watched the older boy scribble on the paper, swiped it, and hugged it to his chest. "I got Terra's autograph!" he squeaked to his cousin, who took interest in the small crowd gathered around Naminé.

"What the hell man," Roxas cocked an eyebrow, smirking. "Sorry about my cousin," he apologized to the highly amused Terra. "He's being himself."

Kairi herself was star struck: seeing that Naminé was conversing with Aqua _and_ Terra, the redhead appeared beside her blonde best friend and profusely shook Aqua's hand. The older girl was seen to be uncomfortable with the princess treatment.

"So what brings you guys here," the tall brunette asked the four of them. "I'm sure it's not to hunt us down?"

Roxas explained that they were supposed to spend the day in the Glass Slipper, but because Axel forgot to bring himself, they were stuck waiting for something awesome to happen. "Sorry about loitering," he apologized.

Aqua smiled and reached behind her back and produced four cards. "Here, you can have these," she said, giving each of them one. "Membership cards," she explained. "But they're elite, if you know what I mean. Don't ask! It's my dad's idea… Anyway, you're pretty much top priority with these! However, they don't work that way for now. They're just normal membership cards at the moment. I apologize for that… maybe it'll work right in a week."

"It just opened," Terra added, referring to the hotel. "So don't expect everything to be perfect right away." Aqua nudged the man, shooting him a glare. "Well, _most_ facilities are up and out," he salvaged himself. "Just not the country club, since it's quite big. Anyway, have fun!"

The couple waved at the four and went on their way. Naminé could've sworn she heard Aqua lecturing Terra about being a confident host.

She caught the brunette slinging an arm around Aqua's shoulders and pecking her forehead fondly.

o0o

"Aw, but I want to play bowling!"

"But we just did that!"

"One more game," Kairi was trying to cajole Sora into playing another game with her, to which the boy seemed perplexed with the idea. As much as he liked being with Kairi, he wanted to get under the sun and play soccer with his cousin, or maybe even do decent tricks in the skateboard park. The place was so huge!

"We can go ahead," Roxas suggested. "Just catch up later. It's sunny anyway! We won't get going without you," he gave his cousin a thumbs up and turned around, catching Naminé's stare.

The girl flushed slightly, standing up. She threw her baby blue bag onto her back and followed Roxas out the bowling alley, shutting out the sound of pins smacking into each other.

"Are you ready?" Since the turn of events, the boy's mood lifted drastically.

She grinned uncertainly. "I don't know," she replied quietly. "I've never really played before…" The last thing she wanted to do was look stupid in front of a gorgeo– a guy. _Who'll take my place as chauffeur if I go down?_ She asked herself silently. Naminé did not want to know the answer.

After getting lost for the last ten minutes, ending up in the miniature golf course and the swimming pool on different occasions, both found the soccer field.

The bleachers framing the area broke at a small place, where the doors to the locker rooms were. The blondes pushed through the doors and found themselves in a sort-of lobby area, where at a desk sat a receptionist that relayed the towels and locker keys. In the same room was a set of furniture, a three-seat couch and two lazy boys. A small television was hooked up to the wall. There were two doors that led to the male and female locker rooms, where the lockers and the public showers were.

Fifteen minutes later, Roxas and Naminé were walking out the doors and onto the lush green field where other people were playing their own small games or practicing.

"Okay, so what do you want to do first?" Roxas had a bright smile on his face, Naminé noticed.

She slapped on some more sun lotion then replied with a shrug. "I told you," she couldn't help but grin back at him. It was contagious. "It's up to you! I'm no athlete." She was trying to hide the fact that she was still harboring a small amount of despise at Roxas for playing on her the day before. It wasn't fun, being on the brink of death!

The whole day she was trying to get back at him: it started with miniature golf. She tried to swing as awkwardly as she could in hopes of whacking the club into his face. Instead, he took the liberty of engulfing her and helping her get into the position correctly. It made her feel hot under the collar, literally; why did he have to make her feel so flustered? She had a hard time concentrating all because of… him.

Her many other attempts resulted the same way. She had too much physical contact with him for one day, maybe even for a year! Naminé blushed as she recalled the day's events, from the golf incident to their bowling crisis, wherein she accidentally-on-purpose dropped her bowling ball right before he released his for another strike (because dropping the ball on his foot was too brutal. She should know: she dropped it on herself).

The next half an hour was spent on Roxas teaching Naminé the basic moves: running, kicking, dribbling, and shooting. Though the girl was getting irritated at her own lack of abilities, she continued going with the boy. _Just to see him happy_, she thought to herself. _I want him to be happy_. She gritted her teeth. So much for liking the sport. She was starting to hate it! _I'd rather watch it from afar_, she told herself.

"Can we take a break," Naminé huffed, sweeping her sticky hair into a ponytail. "You're the harshest coach I've ever had!"

"I'm the only coach you'll ever have," the boy smirked, clapping the girl by the shoulder.

Naminé laughed, wiping away the sweat forming on her forehead with the back of her hand. "You're so cocky, you know that?" she shot back, giving him a friendly punch on the arm. Despite her exhaustion, she _was_ having fun.

"You're a flirt for not wearing knee-high socks with your shoes, you know that?" he returned with that adorable smile of his. She stuck her tongue out at him.

They headed to the water dispenser, took out plastic cups and filled them with the provided water.

"I'm glad we got to spend this day together as… not chauffeurs," she hedged slightly, putting her lips to the brim of the cup. "It's…"

"Less taxing?" This emitted a giggle from the girl, who replied with a "You're the one who said that."

Gulping down the rest of their drinks, the pair crushed their cups and flung them into the trash can. "It's also more… fun," she smiled shyly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Let's get back," he said. It made her feel warm knowing he was in his element, teacher or not. She smiled at his retreating figure. Her blue eyes studied his build: it was definitely perfect. _Very perfect_¸ she told herself with a smile. Standing up, she skipped after her coach.

When she caught up to the boy, Roxas was positing the ball in front of him. He took ten steps back from it and told Naminé to kick the ball into the goal behind him. She frowned; how could she even do that? For Pete's sake, she couldn't even dribble the ball properly. She was surprised he didn't give up at all.

Adjusting her shorts, Naminé took a step back. She was starting to feel conscious. Was it really a bad move to leave behind her knee-high socks? The thought distracted her: her imagination was conjuring up a dirty old man watching from the bleachers. This was why when she kicked the ball she pretty much fumbled, cracked her ankle, and fell on her face.

A sharp pain clawed through her ankle. Naminé winced, biting her lip. She was _not_ going to act like a baby another time in front of him, two days in a row!

"Hey, Nam, what happened?" Roxas knelt next to the girl, trying not to freak out. "Are you okay?" He almost died when he saw her drop, fetal position. "Naminé, say something," he pleaded.

She let out a groan. "I hate you," she squeaked, looking at him. "I really do." She noticed a red mark on his cheek. "Did I do that?" her eyes were wide with awe.

The dirty blonde boy chuckled despite the conflicting emotions inside of him. "Yes, you did," he said, his cobalt orbs sparkling with relief. "You're a good student," he said, rubbing his cheek. "Now, we have to get you to the infirmary. It looks like a bad one!"

"I only sprained it," the girl reasoned, cursing herself inwardly for being a damsel in distress yet again. Naminé reached out for his hand, which he took and gently hoisted her up. He insisted on dragging her back piggyback style. The boy won the petty argument, so he was able to bring the scowling, self-conscious girl for aid perched on his back.

"Does it hurt?" Roxas asked her for the nth time. Only out of concern, of course.

"Dandy," the girl mumbled. "I'm sorry I ruined your day," she apologized. "I didn't mean to trip!"

He laughed. "So you're not sorry you hit me in the face?" he teased, crossing the green field.

She smirked and squirmed into a more comfortable position. "No," she said simply into his ear, a grin growing on her face. "Why should I be?" then she blew into his ear. "That's for yesterday," she said smugly, sitting up straight.

Roxas rolled his cobalt eyes. "No kidding?" he sighed loudly. "You're still mad at me about that?"

"Yeah," Naminé replied flippantly, to which her ride shook his head. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I question your morals."

"I hate you."

"It's your fault, too."

"It's _your_ fault. You started it yesterday."

"That was yesterday," he tried not to sound amused. For all she was, Naminé was still a child. Not that it was always a bad thing. "And anyway, you already damaged my godly face, which should be a good enough compensation."

She giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "What godly face?" she teased, scowling playfully at his blonde spikes. "I think it looks better now." She yawned.

Roxas laughed. "Now you go to sleep," he scolded the girl. "You had a long day."

"But I have to make sure you're not bringing me to play tennis," she giggled sleepily as Roxas stepped into the Glass Slipper, following the signs to the infirmary. Naminé nuzzled his neck. "I hate you," she yawned again.

"I hate you too," he said, thankful the girl couldn't see the blush creeping up his neck.

o0o

Naminé woke up with a bad headache and a throbbing ankle. _What happened? _Oh right, she sprained her ankle. Her eyes focused on a redhead sitting nearby: Kairi, most definitely. Where was she?

"Naminé, you're awake," Kairi immediately crossed the unfamiliar white room. "You're in the infirmary," she babbled, a worried crease on her face. "Roxas said you sprained your ankle and passed out from the shock! Are you okay now? How's your leg? Can you move?"

The blond girl laughed. "I'm fine, Kai," she assured her best friend. "And _no_, I didn't pass out because of that. I was, you know, tired," Naminé wanted to kick herself. She was talking to Kairi, the one person who picked up everything.

The redhead's calculating mind was in gear. The brain's owner smirked knowingly, causing the injured girl to look away. "Anyway, thanks for looking after me, I really appreciate it," she said, referring to the ice pack under her swollen ankle. Naminé winced. That was the most revolting thing she's ever seen. "Did the other two leave already?"

Kairi sat down on the bed adjacent to Naminé's. "Your afternoon nap extended all the way to eight at night. Of course they waited for you," she said sarcastically. "I'm kidding. They _did_ wait for you… in the skating arena." Kairi giggled. "They said if you're feeling better, they'll bring us out to dinner."

If Naminé wasn't mistaken, she saw stars in her best friend's eyes. "What's this," she teased. "No more Axel, Kai?"

"There was never an Axel," Kairi raised an eyebrow. _Oh crap_, she berated herself silently. Good thing Naminé wasn't as perceptive as she was; else she would've smelled something brewing. "Didn't I tell you that this morning? We're just drinking friends." Good save.

Naminé tapped her chin with her index finger. "I worry about you," she said sincerely. "You drink a lot, and you're really gorgeous. I hope you don't do anything…"

"I can take care of myself, Nam," Kairi said a little shortly, standing up to get a glass of water for her injured friend. "You know I won't do anything bad."

The blonde shrugged. She couldn't take her word for it. "Well, when are we going to eat?"

It was better to change such a touchy subject.

"You feel better already?" Kairi whipped her head to face Naminé, who flashed a smile.

"Yeah," she replied, making a mental note to quiz Kairi further. But for now…

The door swung open, and three people came in: Roxas, Sora, and the nurse named Aerith.

"Are you feeling better?" the nurse's voice was melodious, in Naminé's opinion. She immediately liked her. The blonde nodded.

Aerith produced a roll of tape. "I'm going to give this to you," she said. "You have to wrap your foot with this bandage. It will help ease the swelling and depending on your recovery rate, get you back up in no time!" She bound Naminé's foot before snipping off the bandage-tape and handing the injured girl said tape. "Don't forget to keep your foot in cold compress," she added.

"So," Roxas stepped forward. "Better?"

Naminé scowled. "Better than you," she grinned, her eyes on the purple patch on his cheek. "Nice tattoo. Where'd you get it?"

"From this really stupid person who can only draw up one kind of tattoo," he returned, pulling her up. The girl stumbled slightly before he secured her under his wing. "Now we better go before said stupid person comes for you."

From behind, Kairi was watching the two. She was smiling, and was grinning widely when Sora offered his arm to her like a butler. She took his arm and they followed the blondes from behind and to Sora's car outside, where the valet parking guy waited patiently for the car's owner.

Things were going well.

"Roxas, you stupid ass, don't touch me like that!"

"And how're you getting in the car, for Pete's sake?"

"_Not_ like a bride! I hate you!"

"Nam, no need to get riled up; I'll help you," Kairi flew to Naminé's side, giving Roxas a look. She supported the girl's arm until she sat comfortably in the passenger side's seat.

Before she slammed the door, Naminé stuck her tongue out at Roxas.

In return, the reckless kid he was, Roxas threw open the door of the car, sat in the driver's seat, and pinched both her cheeks until she protested with a shriek and a slap on his unharmed cheek.

"I hate you."

"I hate you too."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Naaah D: I'm sorry about this chapter, not much progress with the plot! I promise the next chapter will have a little more going on with a bit of a solid ground instead of having a chapter treading on the surface of my sleepiness. Sorry again 'bout the sloppiness D: I'm going to get to writing the next chapter for my other story, the one whose title I cannot really pronounce or type because I'm soo great that way.

Or maybe I'm going to try to finish Re:Coded, 'cause that's a need. Don't forget to review, _especially_ if you have something you want me to improve on! :)


	5. foreverly bored

**Author's Note:** Hi! Sorry for the long wait... Writer's block is very deadly. Actually, I almost deleted this story in the process. Haha! Now I'm dried out of ideas for _Boyanotrophicophobia_, the other fic whose title I copy pasted because I still cannot, for my life, say/type it. Hihi :) Enjoy!

* * *

_**chapter five.**_

_**forever-ly bored.**_

"_I need to drink_," Kairi shrieked into the telephone. "_I really do! I bet this is what rehab feels like, Nam, and let me tell you, it's nothing exhilarating!_"

"Then why don't you?" Naminé quipped, bringing her end of the phone a good few inches away from her ear. "I'm sure Axel wants to anyway." Actually, he always did.

"_Don't you know anything, Nam? I can't go out to you-know-what if you aren't there! My parents required me to beg you to be my chauffeur for a reason, and this is the reason!_"

The blonde sighed, her temper starting to flare. "I'm really sorry, Kai," she apologized patiently. "But you know I can't!"

"_I know, I know! Actually, my parents aren't around, so it's okay if I wander around right? But…"_ Kairi sighed testily. This made Naminé curious. What was it that was making Kairi… weird? "_Look, I'll tell you later, alright? I'm coming over._" Her tone seemed brighter by many notes, the blonde observed.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Naminé put the phone back on its cradle and threw her comforter aside. She inspected her ankle and bit back a gasp. It was _monstrous_! Her right foot was ugly, the swollen _thing_ in its colossal being wrapped over her bone. She knew that most of the bulge was not due to the bandages.

Naminé hobbled all the way to the bathroom, the roll of bandages in hand. She pulled down the toilet cover and sat atop. She peeled off the existing tape and winced yet again at the clammy sight. Just as she was about to wrap her ankle again, the door swung open.

"Where are you, Nam? Are you in the bathroom? May I come in? It's me, Kairi!"

The other girl laughed. "Sure! I'm just about to bandage my ankle again. Do you want to see it?"

Kairi pushed the other door open and let herself inside. Her eyes widened, and then she wrinkled her nose in disgust. "What on earth is _that_? It's _ghastly_! Revolting!" Recovering slightly, the redhead produced a small bottle. "Here, I got you some medicine, swiped it from home. It helped me when I broke mine."

"Thanks," Naminé said gratefully. She giggled. "I remember that," she added. Kairi shook her head, ordering her to get back to work.

One of Kairi's earlier escapades with drinking led her to break her ankle. She was wearing her killer heels that night, and had a drink too many (more like a keg, in Naminé's opinion). Just as the party animal was about to go up on the dance floor, she stumbled over a guy, spilled her drink all over him, and blacked out. Next thing she knew, she was lying down on a couch nursing the searing pain in her ankle, some other person watching over her.

That was when she met Axel.

"At least you have a drinking buddy who'll watch out for you," Naminé commented as she bound her foot. "Not everyone's as lucky as you are."

Kairi rolled her eyes, leaning on the sink. "Yeah, sure, that's just great."

The blonde tugged on her newly bound foot. Satisfied, she bounced to her feet –foot, rather– and hopped out the door. "Is this what you were getting at a while ago, Kai?" she hung onto the doorframe.

"Actually, yes," Kairi followed her out. "It's kind of weird though."

"Well?"

"How do I put this…" the redhead tapped her chin thoughtfully. Naminé laughed, falling into her rumpled comforters.

"I know you, Kairi," she giggled, sitting up. "It's better to just spit it out! You know you want me to know anyway." A smile spread across her pale face. "Well?"

Despite her dilemma, Kairi smiled back at her best friend. She was right. "It's kind of embarrassing, but, oh!" She plopped down on Naminé's swivel chair. "You know Sora's fun to be with and all that, right? Well, we kind of, say, really hit off."

"That's great," Naminé said sincerely. "But what about Axel?" she added later.

That was the problem. "He and I are just friends," Kairi stated. "And besides, that's not what I'm worried about. It's that –"

The doorbell sounded. Both girls whipped their heads towards the door. It was a habit, those two girls; actually, it goes for many. In the middle of an intimate conversation, malicious or not, if any sudden interruption occurred, all whispers and soliloquies were cut abruptly until the air was clear yet again.

Personally, it annoyed Naminé. Here they were bonding, and someone jumps in between and dissolves all forms of intimacy. She made a mental note to bring it up with Kairi soon.

"I'll get it," the redhead offered, grateful for the interruption. Without a word from the blonde, she jumped out of her seat, out the room, and down the stairs, away from her almost-embarrassing situation.

o0o

"Good lord, why are _you _here?" Naminé's screech came out muffled through the door.

She heard him laugh. "What, I can't feed my guilty soul?"

"No! And even if I get what you're trying to tell me, it sounds wrong!"

Roxas scratched the back of his head, looked at Kairi, and shrugged. He let her stand in front of the door to say, "What's your problem? You're a sad case!"

No response. Shrugging bag, she pushed the door open. "Come on," she hissed, motioning him to follow her in.

The boy shook his head. "I think I'll respect her privacy right now," he apologized. "I'll be back later, I guess." To which Kairi waved off.

"Stay outside and don't move," the girl compromised and shut the door behind her.

"What is _wrong_ with you?" the redhead thundered.

"You mean, what's wrong with _him_!" Naminé retaliated just as furiously. "What kind of moron goes to a girl's humble abode at eleven in the morning? And I didn't even invite him!"

"Well, too bad," was all what Kairi could come up with. She raised her chin in defiance. "He thinks he's responsible for your injury okay? So be a good sport and let him work off the guilt!"

"But I'm not even changed!" the blonde motioned to her lacy top and billowing baby blue pajamas. "I'm not ready to see anyone at this crappy state!" she stormed off as angrily as she could, given her condition, into the bathroom to change.

Naminé came out wearing a white polo top and dark green shorts, unruly blonde mess tamed and mouth washed. She spotted Roxas inside her room, peering at one of her sketchbooks.

Kairi was nowhere in sight, she observed.

"You seem pissed," he observed.

"I don't like hurrying my summer mornings," the girl replied, hopping over to the chair, where she sat down gingerly and watched Roxas flip through the pages. "I'd rather you don't look at those," she recommended.

He looked up, deep blue eyes meeting hers. "But they're amazing," he said, cocking an eyebrow. "You should have an art show or something." The boy resumed leafing through the pages.

Silence enveloped the room. She watched him look at each page carefully. For a while, she felt happy that she managed to impress him. For one thing, she knew she bugged up yesterday and the day before with her clumsiness and temper, respectively. Naminé didn't want to cause any more rifts between them; she really liked him.

Not that way, of course.

At least, not –well.

"So… how's your leg?"

"It's gross," she replied automatically. He laughed.

"Looks really bad," he commented, shifting his attention to her ankle. Roxas came over to inspect the colossal mess. "Is it painful?"

Naminé nodded, looking a bit upset. "I've been putting ice on it, but it looks like nothing's happening." She threw her hands up in despair. "It's not healing at all!"

Roxas laughed again. "You can't expect it to heal in a day!"

"There's nothing to do on a boring day, and it's about to get even more boring because I'm a crippled freak!" Naminé wailed.

He shrugged. "So what do you plan on doing today, then?"

The girl shrugged, exasperated. "Watch my foot, I guess," she mumbled. She could already see her whole day planned out: sitting on her butt, watching whatever her eyes could pore over. Maybe even hobble to the door and back, if she could do that. After, she'd sit on her butt again. Not a great way to spend her day. Plus, half of the summer's over already. "Welcome to the life of the forever-ly bored!" she threw her hands up.

It's something the artist had always been conscious of: the days of summer. Part of her wanted to make every day count, but there were those lazy days when she'd opt to do nothing. At the moment, she was in her 'do this and that before summer ends' mode.

Not good.

"You can't go out today," Roxas said. "But we can do something around the house without doing anything to your foot."

_He said _we_,_ Naminé thought. It made her feel good. He wanted to spend the day with her! "What's that, then?" the flaxen haired girl asked, curious. Anything to spend the day not doing _nothing_!

He was silent for a moment. "We could bake stuff," the boy suggested. "But we have to do that in our house, 'cause you guys don't have an oven downstairs."

Naminé shook her head violently. "I can't cook, what more bake! I'm a disaster in the kitchen!"

Roxas stood up, grinning. "That's okay; I'm not any good either. Actually, I don't think I've ever baked in my life, but I think I know the basics. And you're only a disaster on the field, if you want to know. C'mon, let's go! Okay?"

She grumbled, which he took as an okay. Satisfied, the boy scooped the surprised girl bridal style and headed out the room.

"What the heck!" Naminé shrieked in surprise. Her face had two red spots, one on each cheek. The color was growing deeper and deeper as it spread through her face. Roxas just _carried_ her! Was that normal? Was that nice? More importantly, was that even _decent_? "Put me down this instant!"

"Well how else will you get to the car?"

"Maybe I don't want to get into the car!"

In response, Roxas turned around and headed back up the staircase. "Okay, suit yourself, be bored today." He grinned. "Don't call me when you're in the doldrums… being bored."

The girl exhaled sharply. "Okay, okay!" She conceded. "I'll go baking at your house today. Just… don't use this means of transportation again!"

He laughed, shook his head, and spun around. This time, he brought her to the car.

o0o

"You've got to be kidding me."

His eyes were drawn to her deadpan expression. "What's wrong?"

She gestured to the door before them. "The _supermarket_?"

Roxas blinked, his cerulean eyes wide. "We need our ingredients, don't we?" he gestured towards the same door. "Come on, let's go inside. I'm picking you up again." He pulled her from the seat; this time, she let him. The blonde carried the girl and nestled her into one of the pushcarts outside the store.

Naminé laughed. "You're serious about this, aren't you?"

He grinned and shrugged, as if saying, Isn't this what we're supposed to do? "And away we go!" he shouted and pushed the cart into the supermarket.

The supermarket isn't the biggest one in town, but it certainly was complete. The aisles seemed to go on and on, filled with items of varying brands. If there were to be a problem, it would be which one they should buy.

"So what do you want to make?" Roxas asked, rolling the cart between aisles. "Cookies, brownies, macaroons…"

"Brownies!" the girl squealed in delight, a grin spreading through her face. "But without nuts, please! I dislike them."

He was only happy to oblige. Anything to make her happy.

"Hey, do you even know what we need to buy?" This stopped him in his tracks. Naminé shifted in the basket, adjusting to secure her ankle. She took his silence as an answer. "Oh my god, are you serious?" she threw her head back and laughed.

"Oh come on," he huffed. Naminé found this cute. "We can find a saleslady around, maybe she can help us…"

As he steered the cart, the girl rolled her eyes. "Do you realize that not every clerk is a walking cookbook?"

Roxas cocked his head nonchalantly, unperturbed by the detail. "We'll find one who does," he replied flippantly. "Don't worry!"

It took them a while to find one who knew a recipe. As for other people… well, either they shook their heads or found them weird. "Why didn't you come prepared?" some even asked.

"Oh, hi!" the girl piped, her green eyes shining. "Do you need any help?"

"This guy here," Naminé pointed at Roxas. "He wants to bake brownies, but he doesn't know the recipe." This statement earned the injured girl an accusing glare from her cart pusher.

The salesclerk grinned. "Well, I know a recipe, but it's pretty basic, if that's alright?" The blondes nodded, grateful for any help. "Here, just wait…"

She pulled out a small notepad out of a pocket on her apron and fished for a pen from her back pocket. The girl found a stack of boxes at one side to use as a makeshift table. She tapped the pen to her chin, wondering what to write. In a burst of inspiration, she jotted down the ingredients the two blonds needed.

"There you go!" the saleslady smiled, handing them the paper. Her salmon curls bounced. "That's the most basic brownie recipe, but it's really, really good! I used to make them a lot before with my friends."

Naminé looked at the list. _Eggs, flour, baking soda_… There wasn't anything on the list foreign to them, to her relief. She noticed that the lady also jotted down some notes for them to keep in mind, such as the sequence of the ingredients and when and where they were to be included in the batter. "Thank you so much, uh…"

"Vanille," the lady supplied with a smile.

Both blonds grinned. "Thanks, Vanille," Roxas said, giving her a small wave while maneuvering the cart. "I'm sure it'll be scrumptious."

"Have fun baking!" Vanille trilled happily, walking down the opposite direction. "Tell me if you were successful, okay?"

When they were out of earshot, Naminé looked up at the boy. "Scrumptious?"

"What?"

"No one says _scrumptious_. What are you… ninety?"

Roxas shrugged. With a great push, the two sped down the aisles to look for the ingredients they needed to make their brownies.

"At least I'm not sitting with non-living boxes filled with powder."

Naminé sent him a glare, though her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Shut up and drive, chauffeur."

In response, Roxas handed her a box of cereal.

"What's this for?" her baby blues sent him a quizzical look.

"So you won't get lonely in the pushcart, my dear."

Naminé laughed. "Yeah, I'll eat this scrumptious cereal while you hunt for those chocolate bars."

o0o

Naminé peered into the mixing bowl and made a face. She turned around, her flaxen mane whipping the air. "Is it supposed to look like this?" she pointed to the brown mixture.

Roxas crossed the kitchen tiles and hovered over Naminé. "I dunno," he grinned. "Just keep mixing," he instructed and went back to the counter to level the flour. "Maybe it'll look normal later."

Naminé sighed grumpily, pushing the whisk around the bowl. Her other hand was on the bowl, keeping it from being pushed around the table. It's been well over an hour, and they weren't making any progress. At least, she didn't think they were. Not that they weren't having fun, she reflected. She shifted in her seat and gripped her weapon firmly before whipping the batter again. She was enjoying herself despite the sweltering heat.

"Okay, I'm bringing the flour now," the boy announced, carrying another bowl. He put it beside her. "Do you want me to dump it in?"

"How about you do everything?" Naminé panted, wiping the sweat above her brow. "This is hard!"

"No way, you're not doing anything anyway."

"Yes I am!" if she could, she'd stamp her foot indignantly. "You're the one measuring _only_. I'm the one doing the brunt of the work and that's all you do!"

"That's because you suck at measuring! Remember?"

Naminé blushed at the thought. It was true. A while ago, when she measured the sugar, she practically spilled the whole bag onto the floor. And the butter? Roxas had to run over to the neighbor's to get theirs because the clumsy girl… let's say she didn't know how to cut butter properly.

"But you're the man," she reasoned. "You're supposed to mix because it's hard."

He rolled his cerulean orbs. "You're such a sissy, Naminé."

"Okay, okay!" she threw her hands up in defeat. "Pour your flour, sir Roxas."

He dumped the whole bowl's contents into the mixture.

"Now look at what you did!"

"What? I just did what you told me to do!"

"Not everything at the same time! All the flour's going to fly!"

"Well I didn't _know_ that, did I?"

"You'll have to do the mixing now."

"What?"

The girl put her hands on her hips. "It's not my fault I don't have an electric mixer," she huffed. "And no way am I going to get flour all over me!" She handed him the whisk. "Now it's your turn, loser apprentice."

Well, she is a girl after all, he thought. Roxas took the whisk from the girl and began mixing the batter. It was hard, especially now that it was thickening. He made a face but continued.

Still, look at the mess on the floor. What once was a white-tiled floor became a color swatch made mostly of browns and yellows; there was even a patch of sugar on the floor, stuck because it landed on some liquid that dried up. And don't forget the lost, unevenly cut butter pieces. Oh well, at least the drapes didn't get stained by Hurricane Naminé.

_How annoying._ It was his idea, but he didn't think it would be a tough job, including all the bickering they were doing. Still, all in all, he was having fun. And by the looks of things, she was too. So baking really was fun.

"What are you smiling at?"

He snapped out of his reverie and found himself looking at Naminé. Her chin was propped on her fist, and she carried her trademark bored expression. Bored, but happy. He found it nice. Unique. Refreshing. "Am I not allowed to smile?" he countered, the grin still on his face.

A small smile escaped her lips. "No," she replied, giggling.

"Then you can't either," he decided, putting the bowl down and grabbing a seat beside hers. Roxas sighed, pleased with his job. The batter sure looked like something that would rise into brownies, and good ones at that. "Do you want to pour?"

"Okay." The boy got up again and brought the prepared tray. He watched the girl drizzle the contents of the bowl onto the metal plate and fill the whole space. His eyes trained to hers, Roxas noticed her focused gaze as she expertly, or so she'd like him to believe, emptied the batter onto the tray. It was probably part of being an artist, he concluded. Everything had to be perfect.

That's what he thought. From the drawings in her room, he'd already known she was a perfectionist to the bone (for things that matter; look at her room, which wasn't even neat). He didn't know why, but just looking at them made him feel like he'd seen an intimate side of her, even though he wasn't really allowed to look at them.

"Done," her voice rang in his ears. He took that as a signal to pop the tray into the preheated oven.

"Do you think they'll be nice?" Naminé asked him worriedly. "The batter's okay, but do you think they'll taste good?"

"It's fine," he replied. "We'll see soon, won't we?"

Naminé agreed. "With all of Vanille's instructions, we can't go wrong!" she said confidently.

He shut the oven door, and then sat on the chair beside Naminé's. "So," he looked into her eyes. They were a pretty crystal blue. "Are you still bored?"

Naminé stared right back. A mischievous gleam glazed his tired blues. She noticed his shirt was stained with small dribbles and streaks of chocolate… and how did that flour get on his hair? Then again, she realized, she probably looked worse despite being seated the whole day: stringy hair and probably some batter on her face. Still… "No, I'm not bored anymore."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Yay, another chapter done! Sorry again for the long wait D: tbh, I wrote this chapter soo long ago, I don't even remember half the stuff going on. I think you can guess which part I stopped at. Anyway, hopefully this chapter isn't sucky; I kind of like it in some way but I dunno... Please review and tell me what you think of it! :D

Oh and to my dear, dear friend here in FFN, yes I'm back, but I cannot find your PM! Hoho. I'll find it in my email (is it there? I don't think so...) hope I can reply to you soon, or start again hihi :)


End file.
